A long-time member of the IPAC Finance Team, and an admin member in several projects at JPL before that, Mari Castillo is retiring. We asked Mari about her favorite memories during her career and to offer some advice to all of us at IPAC.
What was it like starting out at JPL?
In 1989, one of my friends, Carolyn, was a task lead there and invited me to come to JPL. I started out as an admin in a group working on a GPS system to measure movements along fault lines around the world. Then I did budget planning, travel, and general admin for a different group. An exciting time was when I worked with the Mars group, and we got to see pictures coming in from Mars. I also helped at the Open House at JPL. My bilingual skills in English and Spanish came to good use there.
I then worked under David Diner in the MISR program, which was an Earth observation program using infrared observations. It helped detect the moisture levels in the soil, and spot areas that were suffering from dryness. My work was similar to what Jack Lampley did in IPAC facilities, including phones and travel. I had to learn MS-DOS, before the Mac computers arrived. My attitude was to “just figure it out yourself,” as I did not have any formal computer education. I loved JPL because I was able to take classes inside of JPL and learn onsite.
How did you end up moving to IPAC?
Eloise Kennedy, who had moved to IPAC, started asking me whether I wanted to come to work with her at IPAC in the Spitzer finance group. I first said no, but then after a couple of years I finally joined IPAC in 2005. My job was to work on grant reports. Money was being transferred from JPL to Caltech campus and IPAC.
What kind of advice do you have for your successors in the IPAC finance group?
People on campus have expressed that they will miss me. I always tried to reply to people quickly and make their jobs easier that way. This is what I am trying to impress on the new members of the finance group here at IPAC. I helped to train Nancy Paradise, who is now in charge of finances at IPAC. I also have been training Ashley, Emma, and Patricia.
What are you going to miss most about IPAC?
The people. And learning things.
When I started working at IPAC we had two admins in Keith Spalding, two upstairs in Morrisroe, and four downstairs in Morrisroe. Their number has decreased, but now we have a lot of young admins. It is a fun group. I try to tell them to not get stressed out. There is always a way out of every problem.
What are your plans for retirement?
I want to take some classes in history and study sociology. I want to learn to swim, as I have a cruise to the Caribbean coming up and I want to go snorkeling. I love to read, bake, and cook. I may take up quilting.
I also plan to do some traveling. Mostly visiting National Parks across the country. I have visited all the ones in the western part of the continental US, now I want to go to the National Parks in Alaska and in the eastern and central parts of the country. Together with my husband, or alone.
Do you have any advice for all of the current IPACers?
I hope there will be more communication within the various project groups. You don’t necessarily always have to talk about work-related stuff, but just to get to know each other and each other’s working habits. That way you will avoid misunderstandings when you communicate with each other.
I wish people could stay around forever. Work can be very entertaining. I like to research how things are working.
Think inside the box! You need to figure out what works best for you.
Thank you, Mari, for all that you have done for IPAC. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement!
